


Imaginary Unit

by Kameiko



Category: Deus Ex: Black Light
Genre: Angst, Gen, Manipulation, Plot Twists, Psychological Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2021-01-02 02:23:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21154019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kameiko/pseuds/Kameiko
Summary: Prisoner, Prisoner, in the padded cell, what do you consider to be real?Prisoner Jensen: Have you lost your own mind, Guerrero?Prisoner, Prisoner, I am unable to answer this as I am a bug that only collects your datamind.Prisoner Jensen: Have you lost your other mind, Mejia?





	Imaginary Unit

“You want me to do _what_ now, Jensen?” Koller looked at the aug standing in front of him with a shell-shocked face.

Adam thought he was clear as day with his simplified demand. Apparently, he wasn’t. “I was forced to replay events from the augmented prison in Arizona in my head for Dr. Auzenne, Koller. Something felt very off when she asked me about how I handled an official double-crossed Interpol agent and a wanted criminal that should be in a Virginian padded augmented cell for how dangerous-“Adam stopped himself. He had to take a deep breath to calm his lathered face.

_Something wasn’t right. Jensen said “replay”, not “repeat”. When he did, he imagined a different outcome. One where he had seen Dr. Auzenne’s face of terror when he told her that he shot the Interpol persona agent known as Oscar Mejia dead, or the time he told her that he watched the warden tasered a simple prisoner man that went by the name: Hector Guerrero that was only trying to clean the bathrooms in his block-wait. None of this was making any sense. They’re the same person. Why was Adam imagining…_

_Hector looked on with his mop in hand. “You here on mop duty too, friend? Let me grab you a bucket. This place can be Hell sometimes, but when you’re in, you’re in. No going back now!?”_

_Pause. Jensen asked a question._

_“Hm? Oscar Mejia? Sorry, I am not him. I am doing time here, because of what I did back in Detroit. Sometimes you just have to take one for the mob boss, am I right?” Hector handed Jensen an empty pale that disappeared once Adam took in his hands. _

_Adam asked another question about the object disappearing. _

_“You’ve been listening to that intercom too much, Agent Jensen.” _

“Jensen?” Koller watched Adam’s uncovered eyes dot back and forth as if they’re trying to piece together a forgotten memory. This was unwatchable. “Look, man. Take it easy. I am sure your memory will come to you without a simulation being built. You’re trying to-JENSEN!”

Adam had fainted from trying to remember a cost that high.

_Monitors stacked high in a corner of the room where Adam Jensen was sitting. His eyes are forced to remain open, sleep deprived, an inhibitor collar remained attached to his wrist. Tropical plants and different wildlife flew around the screens. The ocean waves raging in loudspeakers associated around the room. Where was he located now? Why couldn’t he move?_

_Mejia appeared next to him. He was wearing a white coat with the sleeves rolled up to reveal golden triangles on both arms that started to make a pyramid at the wrist, but they rolled on upwards in a reverse fall as if the symbolism was toppling over in the opposite direction for confusion purposes. The name tag was blurred out. He leaned over the chair with his chin resting in his hand. “You know something, Walthers? You’re not a man of complete mystery. I bet you could remember a burning fire if I lit a smoke right under your nose.”_

_The tattoos were not like this at first. Mejia had seen the bewildered look. “What? An orchestrated chaos of fallen pyramids never confused anyone before. Now, how about-Ah! Our guest of the hour! Give it up for, The Fixer!”_

_“I told you to stop calling me that while we’re integrating him, Mejia.” He doesn’t sound like The Fixer Jensen remembered. He doesn’t even sound like the man that talked in his head about the convenient store robbery from yesterday. The whole thing was happening too quickly for his brain to register that he turned into a she. _

_Mejia tithed. “You needed a cool name. You fix people’s mental state, so why not use it? It’ll catch on in your reports. Just watch.”_

_“I suppose you’re right. I do like the idea of messing with people’s brain patterns. Afterall, we’re just the tiny little bugs in this man’s head.” Fixer’s hands run over the monitors. “What soothing words shall I say to our patient today?”_

_Adam tugged at the restraints that held him in place. He had to get out of here. He wasn’t thinking straight. Every tap the woman was doing on the screen made his vision hurt a little more. A jolt of pain hit his iron lung every time he let out a breath. Eventually things changed again. The screens displayed just flat ocean waves ravaging the televisions, cracked them like a shark was trying to escape its prison. The sound reminded him of being out at a certain prison._

_Mejia…no…Hector, the one Adam thought he knew stood in front of him, he looked disappointed. “I told you, you’ve been staring at those monitors too much. Where do you think you’re at currently? Estonia? Heard the ocean had beautiful scenery this time of year! Wouldn’t know though. Didn’t get to leave my own bugged room much.”_

_Adam looked up to see that he was now standing face to face with just the prisoner Hector. Dr. Auzenne body was planted on the screen typing away on her tablet. She shined a miniature flashlight at the camera every now and then, moving it in a way where she looked like she was studying something or someone. _

_“It was hard playing the role, you know.” Hector sat down on the floor next to Jensen. “Being this pet in a little project I never asked to be in. Interpol can be a really dark and opal place when it wants to be.”_

_Pause. Jensen asked a question._

_“Am I real, friend?” Hector shrugged. “I don’t know. Do you really think you’re in either of those two places your brain trying to describe right now? For all we know, we could be trapped in a PICUS newsroom at an offsite somewhere in Canada being monitored by some crazy lady being watched by those people in their Ivory tower.”_

_Pause. Another. Adam needed a straight answer. _

_“Alaska? Why would we be there? Unless we’re planning on building snowmen. Can you quickly make your imagination bring that up? No? Ok then. No Winter Wonderland for us.” Hector tapped his chin and just remembered something himself. “You want to know something funny?”_

_Jensen had shaken his head no. He wasn’t in the mood for jokes. _

_“Too bad. You’re going to hear it from me anyways. This be a good one, my fellow agent!” Hector laughed. “Ok, so get this, I have this friend who doesn’t know what happened to him for more than a YEAR!”_

_Jensen wasn’t amused. He kicked Hector in the back with his foot. Hector paid the pain no mind and kept on running his mouth, “And he still doesn’t bother asking himself after this whole time: why does the woman behind the monitor and intercom from the cells that mutter the same shitty scenario’s everyday sound like a certain familiar psychiatrist from the TF29 Prague division?”_

_The monitors go black…then there was a snow of static. _

_“This was NOT what I asked for!” Hector disappeared from site. He didn’t want to entertain the ghosts of Jensen’s onscreen past any longer. _

“Come on, Jensen! Please wake up!” Koller was in a panic. The man in his chair wasn’t responding to any of the attempts to wake him up. Whatever was happening in Adam’s head, had a very strong barrier built up around a part of his brain that acted like a defense mechanism when tampered with. Koller hasn’t even done anything to the man yet, and here he was typing away at his computer trying to find a solution.

_“Nice setting here, companion.” Hector took a shot of whiskey. “Thank you for not leaving me with those TV’s. I would have lost my COMPLETE mind if I stayed there any longer!”_

_Adam looked around. They’re in some shady bar in Prague. He doesn’t ever remember coming here. When did he come here? The lights are dim, people’s faces are muddled beyond recognition. Next to him laid a lab coat where he could almost recognize the name tag. The owner’s beer is halfway full, and the cigarette is almost burned out. _

_“You worried about him? Don’t worry he had a murder train to catch! Some precious sweet little augmented redhead came in to speak with him.” Hector raised his hand to order another shot of whiskey. “This shit so good! Why didn’t I come to this part of your mind sooner? You can learn so much from this situation, agent.” _

_Jensen looked at the empty glass on the table. He asked a question._

_“What the fuck do you think be going on? You’re unconscious in some mad scientist’s chair trying to piece together different renditions of stories about me. I personally loved the harvesting ring one! Junkyard! Who names their harvesting ring “junkyard”? Made it sound like augmentations are going to be obsolete in a couple of years.” Hector ordered another shot. Might as well take advantage the power of the mind can offer when in this state. Bugs can be a powerful being when they want to be. _

_Jensen asked another question, his tone clearly getting tired of all these answers that are just running around in circles. Before he could get a response, a flash camera goes off in his face. Behind the camera was the redhead with a devilish little smirk. _

Koller sighed in relief. “Thank God! I had to do something to get you to wake up! I hope you’re not seeing too many bright lights. Electronic pulses to your brain was my last resort but-“

“PUT ME BACK UNDER!” Adam grabbed Koller by the collar of his jacket. This surprised Koller. He had never seen Jensen act aggressive like this. His usual passive-aggressive threats only came off half-heartedly. Not once had Koller felt like he was in danger, but seeing those eye shields retract, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

“Jensen, I think you need to drop me, man. I am not one to activate my own personal voice security on long-time clients who I considered friends at this point, but if I have to, I will use them.” This was Koller’s own _persona_l promise. After the riots that spilled over from Golem, there was no going back on chances for another incident of any caliber to happen again. He needed to protect his first love and true investment: his bookstore.

Jensen’s grip loosened, dropped the man like a sack of potatoes. “You don’t understand. I kept seeing…something along the lines of strained real memories mixed with delusions. Things started to unfold, take shape, and I can see the lines a bit clearer.”

“But how do you distinguish what to be real or not?” Koller questioned Adam’s judgement. This was an awfully big risk on Adam’s mental state. He was asking him to put him into an unconscious state where the man might not wake up from just for one answer? He rather start working on the simulation. That didn’t require forced trauma to be reawaken.

Adam rubbed his head. “You’re right. I need to get whatever is in my head figured out. I have a contact with someone back in Detroit. His name is Frank Pritchard. I will have him look up the names: Hector Guerrero and Oscar Mejia to get some answers for this bug that I need to scratch.”

Koller sighed out in relief that he didn’t have to turn his back on his friend. “Great. I’ll let you contact him via subvocalization or I-link. Hell, I’ll let you use my old landline phone if you promise me to never scare me like that again!”

There was a couple of things Koller should’ve realized when he turned his back against Jensen to rummage through his cabinets to find his old landline and they were…_Number One: When Jensen had a motivation in mind…_Koller’s vision faded off in the distance…_never turn your back on him and two…_When Koller had awoken, he found Jensen already back unconscious in the chair…_Don’t question someone’s manipulative ability when it came to someone who chased ghostly answers for a living. _

Koller clenched his fists in frustration. Half-tempted to wake the man up again, but then things would just turn into an ugly brawl of blood and bullets. “You really want me to find out for you? Fine, but you owe me big time for this, because you’re a brainless and carless moron!”

_Hector stood in front of a blind black and white statue holding a set of scales. “Wasn’t this thing supposed to be smaller? And a solid black color?”_

_This was the warden’s office. The last place where Flossy and his crew were known to be located to make their statement to the press to show they wouldn’t be oppressed here with their little uprising, killing innocents along the way. Innocents Adam was partially responsible for when he helped initiate the riot by giving the altered Biocell to Red Shoes…in a different simulation, he stole the Biocell for himself, made neutralizing everyone a lot easier and no one had to die in…his mind. _

_“I don’t think Flossy and his crew have any hard feelings towards you.” Hector pointed towards a group that are frozen in place. The last known produced imaginative block that Jensen remembered being drilled into his head. “Unless you want them to hate you, but that would go against programing and cause a malfunction somewhere. Specifically me, but I am just a bug. What do I know?”_

_Why does this thing keep calling himself a bug?_

_“A very good question and observation.” Hector tapped the giant statue behind him. The color changed back to a solid black. “You really should know the answer to that when you stepped in that doctor’s office.”_

_Who was really in charge here? _

_Hector shrugged, “Not I. You’re the one in charge of which direction I take based on your discoveries and actions.”_

_What about the program?_

_Hector stared out the window, he looked at the supposed sun above. “Does this feel like a real sun to you, Adam? I didn’t feel any of the burning rays on my skin when I stepped outside in this hot desert. Did you ever feel the need to drink any water? Eat any fruit to retain substance? No? You wouldn’t. I didn’t either. The program made sure that your augmentations and nutritional needs were taken into the full equation.”_

_The suppressor chip from…_

_“You should’ve at least felt hunger with your convertor being shut off after running around burning whatever energy your skin hunger let on.” Hector moved away. “All you felt was the jolt of pain being pumped through your system every few minutes when you were tide to that chair to simulate a response to your pain receptors.”_

_In other words…_

_“I have no idea! You think I know all this mumbled jumbled science shit? You’re lucky you have nothing in you right now that should be detecting this conversation and alerting the real minions behind this!” Hector let out an exasperated sigh. “God, my stress does feel real! Stop making me feel it!”_

_Adam wanted nothing more to be alone somewhere in a different room to figure everything out. Hector waved a hand in the air, made a door appear. “Being alone in your own brain doesn’t give you any private time. Don’t blow a fuse while being in that cornered space. I would hate to see your consciousness permanently trapped inside a padded cell.”_

_This really was a padded cell with a gratified park bench that sat under a window. Jensen walked towards the window. Looked outside to see a landscape of a kid’s drawing. He really wasn’t going to let himself go mad in here. He turned to look at the door behind him to see that it was slowly shutting. He closed his eyes and sat down on the bench. This really was the last thing he wanted. To be alone in a room to think. _

_“Whatever you say, chief.” Hector’s ghost disappeared from Adam’s mind after that. The thing needed to recharge itself for any more possible future rounds. _

Koller studied the vital signs before him on the screen. He really, really just wanted to pull the plug on the stupid man in the chair. Francis Pritchard couldn’t agree more. “How did you deal with this man back then? I just want to knock his head against the wall!”

“By constantly flirting with the danger he loved to get himself into. Now be quiet, so I can concentrate. We’ll talk about Jensen’s bad habits after I figure this out.” Pritchard typed away tiredly at his computer. Out of all the shit Jensen wanted to pull this had to be the stupidest thing the man had to do just to find out more about himself. He could’ve easily contacted any of his hacker friends to search the database of Interpol to get some information on these people, but once again, the man didn’t like to drag any friends or acquaintances into his affairs. These sentiments have always bothered Pritchard.

“Sheesh! You don’t have to be rude about it!” Koller studied Jensen’s vital signs on the screen again. Everything looked calm and blue. “Everything still good on my end. I am about to take a lunch break. Let me know when you find something.”

“Out of all times to think about your stomach.” Pritchard mumbled. In truth, he was getting hungry too. What felt like minutes for Adam, it actually had been hours. Pritchard stared into his empty coffee cup. “I might need to take a break too. I need another round of coffee before diving back in to see what I can find about these actual names.”

“What you got so far?” Koller pulled up a recent scan of Jensen’s brain. Hoping to find something he may have missed. 

Pritchard frowned. “Nothing. Not even a single to why Jensen may think this person exists.”

Koller stopped eating. “Nothing? Really? Do you think his head just made up everything overnight? He had a very elaborate story for me, man! Hard to believe his memories are producing nothing! I am pulling him out to get some real answers.”

_Hector tapped on the door. “Hey, can you open up? I have a question to ask you.”_

_Jensen opened his eyes to see that his little friend didn’t bother to wait for him to give him a yes or no. He barged right in with a shit eating grin on his face. Hands are on his knees, and he leaned all up in Jensen’s face like a curious cat that wanted to take a bite into the venomous snake that had coiled itself in a stance to let the intruder know he will bite if threatened. Jensen leaned back against the padded wall. Somehow, he felt intimidated and his rattler was going off._

_“How small do you really think I am?” Hector smacked Adam in the forehead with the back of his white gloved hand. _

_Not enough to be seen under the world’s greatest brain scan, scanner, or mad augmented scientist. _

_“Correct.” A coat appeared on Hector. Jensen was now speaking to Oscar. “Well, well, this definitely a nice surprise. I didn’t expect your friends to find out this quickly that I am just a figment that had been implanted in the form of a nite.”_

_What was that?_

_“Nothing. I am just happy that we’re able to talk to one another! I am dead out there in the real world. That bitch with the red hair killed me. The train should’ve finished her off. I even told the people to throw her in front of another one!” Oscar moved away from Adam, checking the door to make sure it was locked. He turned back to Adam with his arms crossed. “Don’t worry. You can still escape from here at any time. I just like the illusion of locking you in here. Made things more…interesting.” _

_Are you real?_

_“You asked me that already. I am somewhat.” Mejia opened the door. Everything was dark outside. “Huh? I could’ve sworn there was a hallway here a minute ago.”_

_You’re messing with me._

_“Of course I am! I am not real! Everything here? All you, Adam! I am created to make you forget!” Mejia tapped the side of the door frame. “Once I leave here, you’ll forget everything, again. This wasn’t your first rodeo. Don’t worry I’ll come back when you recorded more false data for my experimentations. Although…the bar scene. Some reason you can always remember that.”_

_I don’t want to forget._

_“I don’t have a choice. Nice touch with the kid’s drawings by the way. Seemed like your brain reverted itself to preserve memory in the form of that.” Mejia waved his hand in dismissal._

_He never noticed._

_“You wouldn’t of course.” With the name on the tag appeared in the style of a child’s trying to use a red crayon to write their name. _

_Jensen couldn’t get a good look at it. Everything disappeared on him. Including this current memory…besides a drawing of a hunched over scientist at a bar sitting next to Jensen. Their glasses clinked together in celebration. _

Adam’s head was pounding. He pulled himself in a sitting position and the first thing he had seen was Koller’s face hunched over his body with a glass of water in his hand. He demanded for more after the first glass. Pritchard made a snide comment that welcomed him back to the living. Adam was too tired to give him the bird or argue. Koller returned with another glass. Jensen drunk it up again and again till his thirst was satisfied.

Pritchard started to go over his data. “Ok, so Jensen, the data you asked me to collect? Yeah, this person doesn’t exist.”

“Who doesn’t exist, Pritchard?” Adam felt like his head was pounding. For a split second something small in the shape of a microscopic tadpole appeared on Koller’s radar, but it went unnoticed because neither man in the room was paying attention to the screen. The bug took advantage of its open window and erased every bit of data that made itself visible. It wagged its tail when it succeeded.

“The man, Oscar Mejia? Hector Guerrero? You asked Koller here to contact me to find out for you. Maybe I should bill you instead of him for payback! Stop messing around with me!” Pritchard was losing his patience again.

“Pray to God, Pritchard, I honestly have no idea who you’re talking about.” Jensen’s headache went away.

Koller’s face painted in worry. He went to his screen to see if anything came up. There was nothing. He turned to look back at Jensen. “What can you recall when you were under, Jensen?”

“Nothing.”


End file.
